Moka Bros: a New Venue by the Mosto and Modo Urban Deli Team

It's been a busy year for the team behind Mosto, with the revamp of Modo into Modo Urban Deli. But things aren't slowing down – they officially confirmed to the Beijinger this afternoon the upcoming opening of a third venue, Moka Bros. The new spot will occupy a portion of the former Ciro's Pomodoro space on the ground floor of Nali Patio.

The "bros" behind these are the charming Alex Molina and Daniel Urdaneta, and their vision is to expand the "Mo" brand to round out Mosto's "casual fine dining" and Modo Urban Deli's "casual dining" with a new concept of "fast casual dining" in the form of this new all-day dining venue, Moka Bros.

Moka will take up roughly half of Ciro's old space, with 164 square meters of indoor seating and 22 square meters of terrace on the street. Aimed at a younger crowd than either Mosto or Modo Urban Deli, prices will be lower (RMB 50-110) to reflect the fast, casual approach. Think long benches and communal tables in the seating area.

Moka's menu will specialize in savory crepes and other offerings will include waffles, wraps and sandwiches as well as coffee, juices and milkshakes. As with the Deli, the focus will be on creating a healthy, wholesome alternative takes on these classics. The kitchen is large and will have an open bakery for making cakes, which will supply Mosto in addition to being served at Moka. As an all-day dining spot, they will be open early for breakfast, offer a quick lunch for the office crowd, cafe service in the afternoon and dimmed lighting for casual dinner dates. Similar to Modo Urban Deli, Moka will provide take-away and delivery service.

The team is intending to open by mid- to late August, although this is still tentative. Eventually, the plan is to expand the Moka concept to other parts of the city, beyond Sanlitun to areas with a younger crowd such as Wudaokou.

Photo: the Beijinger.